This study documents the life stories of eight First Generation College (FGC) students and alumni in education. Using narrative inquiry as our methodology, we the researchers sought to better understand the lived experiences, struggles and triumphs shared through stories of three postgraduates and five current students in teacher education. With this approach, we aimed to explore what it means to be a FGC student in teacher education. FGC student narratives serve as windows of understanding into their lives—bringing to the surface evidence of their funds of knowledge and what makes them successful teacher candidates and in-service teachers. The compelling stories that these FGC students/alumni tell and retell have profound implications for higher education, and more specifically, teacher education.

Individual videos and transcripts are available on the companion website at: http://coe.k-state.edu/being-first/